


Familial Dreams

by zarrati



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, Missing Scene, post ep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 07:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2380304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarrati/pseuds/zarrati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fluffy one-shot set during and post "Jerry's Retirement".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Familial Dreams

 

After narrowly escaping the Gergich family group hug of death, Leslie ran to her car and tried to gather her thoughts. Spending time with Jerry's family was like walking into the Twilight Zone. You know, like that classic episode where all of the pig faced people thought that they were gorgeous and shunned the person with the normal face. To the outside world, Jerry Gergich was the poster boy for government inefficiency and failure, but to his family, he was adored, loved, and appreciated.

All of these years, Leslie and the rest of the department judged Jerry based on his (many, many) failures, and yet he was never deterred. He genuinely appreciated life's simple joys and pleasures, completely content with the monotony of a stagnant career, and the possibility of never leaving his mark on the world.

When she realized that Jerry was retiring without so much as a goodbye cake, Leslie panicked. While she genuinely enjoyed helping her fellow man, Leslie apparently had a nasty habit of using Jerry and his life as some kind of way to prove herself instead of making it about him. Jerry's "Sweet Sixteen" party was more about Leslie showing Ron that she could juggle work, life, and a campaign. After his heart attack, her drive to help him stemmed out of a fear that her own hopes and dreams were crumbling around her as the love of her life toyed with the idea of working in Florida. Even now, her attempts to make all of Jerry's career goals come true were rooted in her own fears that she might not achieve everything that she had set out to do.

When Leslie worked on her scrapbook commemorating her first year on the city council, she was always thinking about what _else_ she could have done, despite everything that she had accomplished. Her drive and work ethic were what made her so wonderful at her job, but she was slowly realizing that it was all too often taking away from her personal life.

Up until recently, work as really all that Leslie had. Her love life was usually disastrous, if her several failed relationships and the ways in which she had been broken up with were any indication. She had her few good friends, but other than Ann, they were almost all connected to her job. Nothing else mattered except for the career goals and dreams that she had set forth in her early days of childhood.

But things weren't the same anymore; they started changing the second she decided that being with Ben was worth whatever harm could befall her career. From that moment on, even without her realizing it, she, Leslie, became part of an us, Leslie and Ben. Her decisions didn't just impact her, and his decisions didn't just affect him.

While it hurt when Dave moved away, her choice was simple: she stayed in Pawnee and Dave went to California, end of story and end of relationship. But with Ben, it all changed. She put off telling him about her campaign for as long as she could, and even then, he was the one who ended their relationship for her benefit. Those months apart made her realize that after all of these years, she didn't want to be just Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of the Parks Department and City Council candidate, not if it meant coming home to an empty bed every night.

She missed being a part of an "us", an "us" that included political roleplay, amazing make out sessions, and tender touches and caresses as they cuddled in bed after making love. She missed it, she craved it, but it was more than that. She missed _him._ It wasn't just the human desire for companionship and physical intimacy, it was the overwhelming emptiness she felt when she wasn't around him.

Looking back on it, this realization scared the shit out of her. She was Leslie Knope. She didn't need a man in order to accomplish her dreams, no matter how adorable his face was or how cute his butt looked in and out of pants. She had a clear path set in front of her, and she wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way.

But she was miserable. Seeing him day after day, trying to avoid the awkward interactions and almost inevitable gazes of longing. She loved him. She loved him more than she had honestly ever loved another man, and he was the one person who could cause all of her career hopes and dreams to fall down around her.

It was unfair how life just seemed to dangle these two choices in front of her. She could have either jeopardized her job and campaign to be with Ben, or have everything that she thought she ever wanted in life, but give up the man of her dreams. Ultimately, she realized that he was worth the risk. She would try to have it all, and luckily for her, she was right.

So as she sat in her car and looked at her life compared to Jerry's, she realized something. While Jerry's career scrapbook contained a meager four pages, his home was overflowing with family albums that chronicled his personal journey. Jerry only looked at his job as a way of providing for his family, the straight nine to five routine allowing him to come home to them every night. He might not have met the mayor, (well, alive at least), and he might not have gotten a building named after him, but he was still the happiest man on earth.

All of this time, Leslie was still focusing on her job. She spent her and Ben's special day off working on her scrapbook and trying to fulfill Jerry's career dreams. She had an amazing, loving, and understanding husband, who after Leslie's weeks upon end of nonstop work, only asked for one day, and she didn't give it to him.

That thought alone made tears well in her eyes, feelings of guilt coupled with intense gratitude that she had found someone as wonderful as Ben filled her heart.

She and her husband had briefly talked about having a family, but always in passing. The assumption was that someday they would have children, but it was in the nondescript future, some unnamed date. She wasn't old by any stretch of the imagination, but she was no young spring chicken either. Her biological clock was ticking away, and she didn't want to wait until it was too late.

She didn't want to look back on her life in forty years and be the anti-Jerry with a library full of professional achievements and only a four page scrapbook of her personal ones. She wanted days off with Ben, doing nothing but making love and eating mac and cheese pizza. She wanted little Ben and Leslie's running around, practicing their inaugural speeches or watching Star Wars movies. She wanted picnics in parks, vacations to Disney World, driving across the country visiting National Parks. She wanted a family.

Wow, she wanted a family. Like, she really, really wanted one. Leslie never thought that she would ever say this, but she wanted what Jerry had. Not the atrocious career record, but the other part, the fulfilling personal life and family part. Yes, this year flew by, and so would the next forty. But work will always be there.

The wheels in her head were already turning, formulating her apology to Ben and trying to come up with a creative way to broach the subject of possibly starting a family.

Pulling out her iPhone, Leslie called Ben's office, the smile that graced her lips an automatic response to the sound of his voice.

"Hello, this is Ben Wyatt."

"Hi, honey, how are you?"

Leslie could practically hear his smile at the other end of the line, and her heart melted. Even after all of this time and possibly thousands of phone calls, he was still overjoyed by the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Leslie! I'm good, I'm good. How did everything go at Jerry's?"

"It was definitely interesting. They kind of forced me to stay for breakfast, and I never thought that I would find people more enthusiastic about breakfast food than me."

Ben chuckled at her statement. "What, they have breakfast themed holidays, too?" he asked jokingly.

"Worse, they actually have a song about eggs, bacon, and toast that they sing every morning."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Dead serious. I'll tell you more about it later," she said, pausing briefly, her tone turning somber. "Hey, so do you think you'll have time to stop by City Hall during your lunch break? I, uh, wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, of course," he said, his voice concerned at her sudden change of tone. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," she told him reassuringly. "I just," she let out a deep sigh, "I just really want to see you."

Once again, Leslie could all but see the smile that she knew was gracing Ben's lips at her admission.

"I _always_ want to see you," he countered, Leslie's own smile growing so large that her cheeks began to burn. "I'll try to make it there around noon, if that works for you."

"That would be perfect," Leslie replied, and the pair soon fell into a comfortable silence, content to listen to the sound of the other breathing.

"Well, I guess I should let you go," Leslie said reluctantly after several moments. "I have a few things I need to work on at the office before you get here."

"Alright. I'll see you this afternoon. I love you," he told her, the sincerity and conviction in his voice always melting Leslie's heart.

"Love you too. So much," she answered before hanging up, allowing herself another few moments to think on her husband. He truly was the best thing that could have happened to her, his love and support having gotten her through so much these last two years. He was an amazing man, and Leslie knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would be an even more amazing father. She was ready to do this, and she just hoped that Ben was too.

Starting her car, Leslie wiped away the few stray tears that managed to fall as she got lost in her thoughts. She almost couldn't believe it, she was planning on seriously talking with Ben about the possibility of them starting a family, but first, she had a scrapbook to make.

~*~*~*~*~*

Leslie listened as Ben rambled on about the various possibilities as to why someone like Gail would marry Jerry, their bodies mere inches apart.

"Like, does she think Jerry is a friendly hat?" he questioned, the desire to find an answer burning within him.

"I think you solved it," she answered with mock sincerity, an indulgent smile growing as she looked down at her husband.

She leaned forward and caught Ben's lips in several brief but passionate kisses, pulling away just enough to rest her forehead against his as her fingers played with his tie.

The hand that had snaked its way around her back now slipped beneath her blazer, his thumb rubbing Leslie's skin through the thin layer of her shirt as they sat content in each other's presence, grins plastered on both of their faces.

"I can't believe we're going to do this," Ben said quietly as he gently rubbed his nose against Leslie's, his breath caressing his wife's lips.

"I know," she said back with an excited giggle, her hand abandoning its hold on Ben's tie and moving to run a finger over the stubble that littered his jaw.

Ben's hand traveled around Leslie's waist, tracing a path from her back to hover over her stomach, imagining what it would be like to know that one day his child could be growing beneath that very spot.

"You are going to be such an amazing mom," he whispered, attempting to keep his emotions in check.

"And you're going to be an amazing dad," she whispered back. "Any kids we have are going to be super lucky." She continued to stare at him with eyes filled with love and admiration. "God, you are so cute."

" _You_ are," he responded back with a smile before capturing her lips again.

"I want to have sex with you so bad right now," she murmured into his lips, her voice desperate.

"I know what you're thinking, and no, we aren't having sex in your office. You're known for your "open door" policy, and I really don't want anyone walking in on us in the middle of everything."

"Ugh, I know, you're right," she begrudgingly conceded with an exasperated sigh. "But it could inspire someone else to have a sex day holiday."

"I honestly think we are the only couple that has a holiday commemorating other  people having sex," he said with a chuckle, his arms wrapping loosely around her waist.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you've said," she replied with false indignation, her grin never leaving her face. "I just think you're exacting your revenge on me for what happened yesterday," she said jokingly.

"Oh, believe me, I would never deny you sex as a form of payback. We all lose in that arrangement, and I'm no masochist."

"Good to know," she laughed, pausing for a moment. "I really am sorry about yesterday," Leslie told him, her voice turning serious. "I know how much you were looking forward to it, and I let my obsession with Jerry's retirement get the best of me."

She leaned forward to once again to rest her forehead against his. "Thank you for spending your day off helping me instead of at home like you wanted. You are the greatest, most amazing husband in the entire world. I promise, we will have Ben and Leslie's Day  Off Part Two as soon as possible." She moved her lips nuzzle Ben's ear just as his mouth attached to her neck.  "Believe me," she whispered seductively, "I _will_ make it up to you."

"Yeah?" he breathed against her skin, softly nipping at her flesh. "I can't wait," he said as one of his hands ran down her back and squeezed at the curve of her ass. The pair continued their current make out session until they were startled apart by a loud, single knock on the door. As Ben and Leslie tried to compose themselves, the door swung open to reveal a disgusted April Ludgate.

"Ewww, were you two being gross?" April asked in her patented monotone voice.

"What? No, of course not," Leslie denied as she attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in her clothes. "I was just, uh, checking Ben for head lice. You know you can never be too careful," she said quickly, Ben nodding enthusiastically next to her.

"Whatever. I just came to drop this off. Some guy sent it over and said it was really important about some thing or whatever. Nice lipstick, by the way," April said, turning her attention to Ben, who swiftly moved to wipe his lips.

"Thank you, April, for coming all the way down here to deliver this. You are a wonderful and beautiful government employee," Leslie gushed as she read over the piece of paper, April making  an embarrassed and disgusted face at her compliments.

"Damn it," Leslie sighed, "I need to go and take care of this. I'm sorry, honey, but I have to cut our lunch short," she said to Ben apologetically, genuinely upset to have to leave so quickly.

"It's okay. I'm going to have to get back to my office soon anyway. I'll see you at home."

"Okay," Leslie replied as she pressed a quick kiss to Ben's lips. "Love you."

"Love you too," he told her, shooting a quick glare at April who was making gagging noises.

"Bye, April. Thanks again," Leslie said as she walked past her and out of the office.

Ben stood in place awkwardly as April stared at him out of the corner of her eye, her arms folded in front of her. Suddenly, Ben turned to her, a suspicious look on his face.

"Wait a minute. Why did you go out of your way to deliver this yourself? You could have just as easily called her, emailed her, or made someone else do it, like Andy, or Tom, or one of Satan's demons that are under your control."

She simply continued to stare at him, her arms folded and eyes narrowed, the combination making Ben more uncomfortable by the minute. Finally, just as Ben was about to concede and leave the office, April spoke.

"You two _do_ realize that our office is right across the courtyard, right? We can pretty much see everything that goes on in here. Your making out was gross so I came over here to make you stop. Plus, I wanted to be the one to end your happiness."

Ben shot her a look of annoyance before the full meaning of her words sunk in, his face slowly turning horrified. "Wait, so you can see, like, _everything_ everything?"

"Yup," she replied, exaggerating the popping of her 'p'.

"Oh, God," Ben groaned as his face fell into his palm. Although he and Leslie had never had sex in her office, they had found themselves in quite a few other compromising positions. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?" he asked exasperated.

"Because as gross as it was, I knew the longer that I waited, the more embarrassing it would be for you, and I was totally right," she replied with a sadistic smile.

Ben simply shook his head in disbelief and left, eager to get back to his office and leave the presence of April's piercing glare.

"I hope you get the head lice taken care of," she yelled after him as he walked through the hall, her small grin never wavering as several City Hall workers shot uneasy glances in Ben's direction.

~*~*~*~

Later that evening, after all meetings had been attended, dinner eaten, and news watched, the only sounds that filled the master bedroom of the Knope/Wyatt home were the slapping of bare, slick skin against one another, and the cries and moans of ecstasy as Leslie and Ben drove each other over the edge.

Ben collapsed onto his back next to his wife, completely spent and struggling to catch his breath. He immediately gathered her into his arms, Leslie resting her head against his sweat soaked chest as she wrapped her thigh around his own.

"Jesus, Les, you weren't kidding when you said you'd make it up to me," he panted before pressing his lips to her hair. "That was amazing, babe."

Leslie placed several small kisses on his chest before looking up at him, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "Yeah, well, you weren't so bad yourself there, Mr. Wyatt, but just so you know," she said as she lifted her face to barely hover above his, "tonight _wasn't_ what I meant. This was just a preview of what to expect on our next day off," she purred as one of her hands drifted down his bare body and brushed against his softening length.

"Fuck, honey," he groaned, shivers shooting through him at her touch, "you'll be the death of me."

"But what a way to go, right?" she replied cheekily, clearly enjoying the effect that she had on him.

"The best," he said before dropping his head to lavish her neck and chest with his mouth. "So," he spoke, his voice muffled by his wife's skin, "I was looking over my calendar, and I saw that I had a day without any meetings in two weeks, and I was wondering if you had that day free too. See if we can try to have our time together then."

"Mmmm, that would be nice," she moaned in response as Ben sucked on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. Leslie reached out her arm and blindly searched the surface of her night table for her phone. "What day was it?" she asked as she pulled up her calendar, Ben's lips never once stopping their movements against her skin.

"Wednesday after next."

"Awww, damn it," Leslie whined as she looked at her schedule.

"What, no good?" Ben asked, his actions stopping as he tried to get a glimpse of his wife's phone.

"No. Apparently I have meetings practically the entire day, and with the same people too," she said confused.

"Who with?"

"Uhm, some group called the Pawnee Family Foundation. Who the hell are they? I've never even heard of them before. Ugh, they probably are some new group with little recognition and they want me to propose some kind of legislation for them or something. Of all of the days, too. I didn't have anything else planned; they're my only appointment."

"They must be important if they pretty much blocked out your entire day," he said, and Leslie was momentarily suspicious of his strange tone. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something seemed off with him.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, a new wave of frustration taking over her, making her forget about Ben's suspicious behavior, "but I wanted to spend the day with you," she complained.

"Well, maybe you can reschedule. Did they leave any kind of contact information?"

"Let me check. Uhmmm, yeah, my meeting is with the President of the Foundation, a Mr. Tyrion Lannister? Is this some kind of joke?" Suddenly, realization struck her and she turned to look at Ben, who had a large smile plastered on his face. "Wait a minute. Was this you?"

"Yeah," he confessed, his smile growing at the look of surprise on Leslie's face. "After I left your office, I had an idea so I went to Andy and had him pull up your schedule for the next few weeks and found the one day that you had free. To make sure no one else could schedule any appointments with you, I had him put this into your calendar. Pretty ingenious, if I do say so myself."

Leslie was silent for a moment, and Ben temporarily panicked. "Hey, if that doesn't work, we can forget about it. I thought it would be kind of cute and romantic, but I understand if you want to take it off and not have it interfere with any other potential meetings," he stammered, knowing how important it was when it came to the sanctity of her calendar.

"No, it's not that at all," she answered quickly, her voice cracking with emotion. "That's just the nicest, most amazing thing ever. I can't believe you actually made a meeting with me to discuss our family. You are the best husband in the universe," she said before pulling his lips down to hers, hoping that her kiss could properly communicate the depth of her love and appreciation for him.

Ben deepened the kiss, his hand running down her chest and resting on Leslie's waist while his thumb rubbed gentle circles against her hipbone.

"I always knew that the way to a woman's heart was through her calendar," Ben quipped once they paused for air, his fingers moving back and forth across her lower abdomen.

"God, that's so sexy," she said against his mouth, playfully tugging at his lower lip.

"So, it's official. The Knope/Wyatt Family Planning Commission will meet the Wednesday after next for an all day seminar. Do you happen to have a tentative agenda planned for the day, Ms. Knope?" Ben tried to ask seriously, but the grin couldn't be wiped off of his face.  

"Well," she drawled huskily, her fingers gently playing with the hairs on Ben's chest, "I did have some things in mind. I propose that we start off with an early morning make out session that will totally lead to some amazing sex, followed by a hot and sensual joint shower. A breakfast of waffles and whipped cream will be provided downstairs before discussion of the main topic. After we have come to a conclusion that suits us both, we will reconvene here for a special team building exercise to end the seminar."

"Oh, what kind of team building exercise?" he asked suggestively, his hand on her body drifting dangerously close to the soft curls between her thighs.

"That, Mr. Wyatt, will be a surprise, but I can tell you that it will be excellent practice for when we actually decide to start the process of having a baby," she said with hooded eyes, her arm reaching around Ben's waist so she can firmly grasp his butt. "Does that sound acceptable to you?"

"That sounds perfect," he replied in a hushed tone, his eyes going from lustful to soft and adoring. "I can't believe that soon there's going to be a baby growing here," he whispered as his hand settled low on her stomach. " _Our_ baby."

Leslie's hand moved to cover his, her own head spinning at this realization. "I know. It all seems so surreal, but it's going to happen soon. You want this, right?" she looked up at him, her face momentarily insecure.

"More than anything, but more importantly, do you want this?"

"Yes, definitely. I want it all, career, family, everything. We can do this, yeah?"

"We most certainly can. You're Leslie fucking Knope, Deputy Director of the Parks Department, Pawnee City Councilor, and someday the most kick-ass mom ever."

Ben leaned in for a kiss, pulling away moments later to let out a large yawn. "Ugh, I'm so tired. You wore me out today, Les," he said as he flopped back onto his pillow, his arms pulling Leslie tight against his chest.

"Hmm, you better get used to it, babe, because until we decide when to start trying to conceive, we're going to be practicing _a lot_."

"I am certainly a firm believer that practice makes perfect," he responded, another yawn cutting him off.

"Alright, time for bed, mister. We both have a few busy couple of days."

Leslie pressed a quick kiss to Ben's lips and rested her head once again against his chest. "Goodnight, honey. I love you."

"Love you too, Les," he slurred his voice already thick with sleep.

Leslie smiled against her husband's chest, once again overwhelmed by the intense love that she felt for the man beside her.

This past year certainly had been a great triumph for her professionally, but she couldn't let herself forget all of the wonderful things that had happened in her personal life as well. She maintained a strong and healthy relationship with Ben during his months in Washington, she got engaged, moved in with her fiancé, met Joe Biden, secured her park (she considered that both a professional and personal victory), married the most amazing man in the world, and soon they were going to start a family together.

Leslie let out her own yawn, noticing for the first time just how heavy her eyelids felt. The constant beating of Ben's heart gently lulled her to sleep, and she dreamed of picnics in parks, vacations to Disney World, and scrapbooks filled with memories. That night, she dreamed of her family.

  



End file.
